I’ve suffered through one too many batches of burned or soggy kale chips over the years. It took me a while to master my baked kale chip recipe, but I’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way and I’d like to pass my tips along to you! From the good ‘ol Culinary School of Hard Knocks (aka: my kitchen) to you. Gotta love it.
The first time I made kale chips I remember thinking, “Should they taste burnt like this??” The easy answer is no. I’ve come to find a nice balance between crispiness and chewiness without any burnt edges. Yes, this is very serious business, this kale chip business. When baked properly, they really do make the perfect base for a satisfying chip alternative.
I know some people are eager to claim that kale is “over” due to its popularity in recent years, but seeing as it’s still rated number #1 (along with Mustard/Turnip/Collard Greens) on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI), I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon. At least not in my diet. Kale for life!
With these few simple techniques you’ll be well on your way to kale chip bliss. Or maybe you already are, in which case, feel free to skip ahead to my All-Dressed Baked Kale Chip recipe below and get crunching!
Ok, here are my top 6 tips for baking the perfect kale chips. No dehydrator required.
1. Remove the stems and tear leaves into large pieces
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of chewing through woody baked kale stems. I remove the stems very quickly by grabbing the base of the stem with one hand and pushing outwards along the stem to slide off the leaves. Works like a charm!
2. Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves before beginning
If the leaves aren’t properly dried, the water can “steam” the kale chips while baking and lead to the dreaded soggy kale chip! Be sure they are nice and dry before you massage in the oil. A salad spinner works great; just be sure not to overload it so the leaves can properly dry.
3. Don’t skip the oil, but don’t drench it in oil either
A little bit of extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil, if you prefer) goes a long way. I like to use ½ tablespoon of oil per baking sheet of kale chips. “Massage” the oil into the leaves to ensure all the nooks and crannies are coated. Oil also helps the spices stick to the leaves.
4. Spread kale into a single layer on the baking sheet
I used to dump all the kale into a very thick layer on the baking sheet and hope for the best, but doing this tends to lead to soggy, unevenly baked kale chips. I’ve learned to be a bit more patient and spread them out into a thinner layer on each baking sheet. Be sure to rotate the baking sheet half-way through baking. There’s no real need to flip the chips unless you have the patience for it.
5. It’s all about the low-heat for even baking
As I wrote in my cookbook, I tested all kinds of kale chip recipes at different temperatures from very low to high heats. Surprise, surprise the batches that worked the best were the ones I baked at a very low temperature of 300F. Sure, it takes a bit longer to bake, but I can assure you it’s worth it because you don’t get any burnt pieces. Remember, the goal is to crisp the kale, not scorch it into smithereens! In my oven, I bake at 300F for 10 minutes, then I rotate the pan, and bake for another 15 minutes. So 25 minutes total for kale chip perfection in my oven. This will vary based on your oven, but it’s a good starting off point!
6. Cool for just a few minutes on the baking sheet
I’ve found that waiting just 3 minutes allows the kale chips to crisp up even more once they are out of the oven. Just like baked cookies or roasted chickpeas, kale chips really firm up even more when cooled. Those 3 minutes will feel like hours though. I won’t lie.
Bonus tips: Avoid adding liquids (such as vinegars or hot sauces) pre-baking as liquids can result in soggy chips. It’s best to add a light spritz of liquid seasoning after they’ve been baked, if at all. Also, if your oven has one, feel free to try out the dehydrator or convection setting.
Now, read on for my All-Dressed Kale Chip recipe! I promise this batch will not last long…minutes while standing in front of the oven if you are like me.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
All-Dressed Kale Chips
Yield
1-2 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Crispy and chewy kale chips baked in the oven and seasoned to perfection. Enjoy these as a healthy alternative to potato chips.
Ingredients
per baking sheet:
- approx. 1/2 bunch kale leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces. Compost the stems (or freeze for smoothies). Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry.
- Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine.
- Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. I bake for 25 mins. total in my oven.
- Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in! This really makes all the difference! Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.
- Repeat this process for the other half of the bunch.
Tip:
Feel free to make these in a dehydrator if you have one. You can also experiment with the convection or dehydrator setting on your oven (if applicable).
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)I can’t end this post today without thanking you for your lovely comments in my recent post. I’m reading through all of them and greatly appreciate the support, advice, and love. Sketchie’s staple removal went fine (it took a few minutes and didn’t seem to even bother him) and he is healing well from surgery.
I will admit I am a kale hater, however, I loved this recipe! My husband loves kale so I thought I would give this a try. One note I would like to add is related to the cooking time. I live at 7000 feet, so I think this might have been the factor that effected my cook time. I turned the pan at 10 minutes and then at an additional 10 minutes I started to smell the kale burning. The next batch I tried 8 minutes with a turn then an additional 8 minutes and had great results. Again I am assuming this is altitude related.
I made these today and after i dried them and put olive oil on them , i put them on a microwave potato chip crisper i purchased at wal-mart for 15.00. In 2 minutes they came out perfect ( on power level 5). Forget the oven !!
WHAT’S WRONG WITH SKETCHIE?
I’m baking them as I write. Question: Why the yeast? No other seen adds yeast.
Never had kale before so I made these according to your recipe hoping I found a crunch snack. I absolutely “hated” them. Far too bitter. Tasted a few then threw out the rest. Guess I don’t like kale.
DR, I think not. You burned them, most likely. If you do not see them as GREEN GREEN GREEN, you burned them.
They must have no darker tint than green, for those who are anti-bitterness. Please, try again.
If you can take them, even a bit more soggy, then do it. As you eat more things (kale, brussels sprouts, propperly cooked cabbage) that CAN taste bitter, but are cooked properly, you WILL become less sensitive to that anti-bitter reaction.
It’s a natural reaction, and is heightened in females- it is meant to ward against poisons, which are mostly bitter. But do not let it keep you from eating good greens.
Please fight on.
You say that some claim that kale is out of style (or just plain “out”)? Sure they do.
And people have undoubtedly said that olive oil was out, as well.
Same thing with happiness, same thing with good old fashioned water, and all good things.
It doesn’t matter what they say. Kale is tasty and healthy. Thanks for your presentation of how to go about making happy kale chips. Awesome.
Be good.
First time trying kale chips, and let me just say, I could eat these forever! Ate the whole pan right out of the oven, they were so good! The only problem was they came out a bit burnt, but I guess that just means I’ll have to try again ;)
Tried making Kale chips for the first time and used your recipe- they were wonderful! so glad I found your site, with the baking tips. Amazed that they came out so delightfully crispy.
Hi just made kale chips for the first time, and tasted them for the first time. I think they came out pretty darn good considering. Which means you’re recipe and directions were perfect. Thx so much! They were a little on the salty sad but I’ll adjust. One question tho….how do they do as left overs? Is there a way to package them and be able to eat them next day?
This was wonderful. Baked perfectly the first time. I had a hard time with the dry spices, however; they tasted a bit burnt. Today I let garlic slices sit in the olive oil for about an hour, then used that oil for the chips. Amazingly better than with the powder.
I didn’t have parchment paper, so I used foil and baked at 275 for the same amount of time, and they turned out perfectly! So yummy!! And, be sure to take your time in step 3…it’s worth it. Thank you for sharing!
OMG, they were BURNED after 10+12 minutes! I did everything exactly as described. I baked my second batch for 10 minutes only and it came out about right. I can’t believe ovens can vary THAT much. Wow. And it was way way way too much seasoning for me- and i like heavily seasoned food. I must have did something wrong, but no idea what could it have been :(
Your tips are so helpful! Made flawless kale chips our first time. Thank you!!!
Hi Angela,
This recipe looks amazing! I’ve wanted to make kale chips for so long, yet have put it off because I never knew exactly how to do it. So, thank you for this recipe! I’ll be definitely trying it! However, I have one question– I’m allergic to yeast. Is there anything I can substitute for the nutritional yeast? I’m guessing it probably gives the kale that cheesy flavor, but is there anything I can use instead?
Appreciate your help!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
You can leave out the nutritional yeast, but yes it gives it the cheesy flavour so it will taste a little different.
Perfect. Thanks for saving me a lot of trouble experimenting!
I am baking my very first batch using your recipe, so I hope they turn out well. Actually, I modified your recipe and omitted the yeast bc I realized I didn’t have any at the last minute. What is the purpose of the yeast in this recipe? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Karen,
The nutritional yeast lends a slight cheesy flavour.
Just made kale chips using your tips and they are perfect!!
Thanks so much. The tip about making sure they’re dry and then coated in oil I think does the trick :)
Even my fussy 3 year old is munching them down!!
Would this work with beet leaves? TIA
Soo good! Perfect recipe! Wondering what kind of red sauce you have in the pic?
What is the best way to store kale chips? If you don’t scarf them all down after baking… I want them on hand for snacks later :)